Satine's Sacrifice
by MoJo
Summary: The Duke approaches the Satine on opening night, and demands that she fake her death, so the two of them can be rid of Christian. A twist on a classic story!
1. The Duke's Demand

*+MoJo+* {This is my first fan fiction, so please review, and let me know what you think. Thanks}   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Moulin Rouge. If I did I would be in Australia dancing with the kangaroos and running around with pigmy flying dingoes. Thanks bunches!   
  
Setting: This scene takes place on opening night before the debut performance of Spectacular! Spectacular! in Satine's dressing room. The Duke enters the room and approaches Satine with a demand. He is unaware, as is Christian, of Satine's frail condition.   
  
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Satine sat quietly inside her dressing room, preparing for tonight's show, which would begin in only a matter of minutes. Tears streamed down her face and sprinkled her costume as thoughts of what she did to Christian running through her mind. "It was for the best," she thought, "The show must go on."  
  
Suddenly a knock came at her door. Assuming it was Harold or Marie, she invited them willingly into the room. To Satine's surprise, it was the Duke, quickly followed by his manservant, Warner, gun in hand. "My dear, you are looking positively lovely tonight. I hope everything goes off well this evening."   
  
"Thank you, Duke. I do as well."  
  
"That's good." He turns to exit the room, and then abruptly thinks better of it and turns around. "Satine, I know you are a great performer, and that you one day dream of becoming a famous actress." Satine nodded her head in agreement. She dreamed since she was a young child of performing for the world to see.   
  
The Duke continued, "Well, I can make that dream come true for you. For a price, of course."   
  
This last comment lingered in the air for a moment and then Satine stood and replied. "And I am willing to pay that price, Duke. I do believe that we have already discussed this." Satine assumed that the duke was referring to her sleeping with him on opening night.   
  
The Duke continued as if Satine had not said anything. "As I said before, you are a wonderful actress, but can you make someone believe you dead?"  
  
Satine, wondering what he was hinting at replied suspiciously. "I believe I could, Duke, if I was required to do so."  
  
"I require you to do so, Satine. This evening in fact. Prove to me just how good of an actress you truly are."   
  
Satine stood still, utterly confused. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you are saying, Duke." The Duke stepped closer to Satine, Warner remaining in the doorway.   
  
"When the curtain falls, my dear lady, you will not stop acting. You will continue to act, and the scene that will play out will be your death." Satine still couldn't quite grasp the concept that the Duke was creating.   
  
"I'm afraid I still don't understand, Duke." The Duke took another step forward, close enough for Satine to smell his rancid breath. It took all of her strength to not turn away in disgust.   
  
"My dear, Satine, you will act as if you are dying. Make Christian believe you are dead. I am quite sure the boy will show his face here tonight, despite his forewarnings. Be as theatrical as you'd like, fall into the boy's arms, the whole bit. Just so long as he believes you dead."  
  
Satine, stunned at the Duke's request, no, his demand, sat once again, and pondered what she was going to reply to such a dark demand.   
  
Her curiosity overcame her. "Why? Why must I do this?"   
  
The Duke laughed, as if it was some kind of a cruel joke, but she could tell that it wasn't. "Why, you ask?" He turned to Warner. "She asks why, Warner, why!" He continued to laugh, and then swiftly gained his composure. "So that you and I, my dear woman, can continue our life together, happily, and without the interference of that...that...that boy. You will do this, Satine, or I assure you, you will regret it."   
  
Satine knew she had no other choice. She had to obey the Duke. It was her only choice. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *+End Chapter+* Hope you all liked it! I will try to put a new chapter within a week. Please review! Thanks! 


	2. There Was A Boy

*+MoJo+*- New Chapter!!! Yay! Thanks for the reviews. They were encouraging. Have fun!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Moulin Rouge. If I did, I would be on my own private island in a hammock being fanned by Colin Farrell and Heath Ledger. :)  
  
Enjoy!  
  
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Satine sat in her dressing room, in shock. Had the Duke actually implored Satine to fabricate her own death? So many thoughts ran through her head. The show was merely minutes away, yet it was the farthest thing from her mind. The only thoughts that filled her head were what she could do to prevent this no matter what.  
  
Could she tell Christian what the Duke had said and that everything an act? No. He would fight for her, at all costs. Could she refuse the Duke's demand? No. He was determined and powerful enough to have her whole life ruined. Without killing Satine herself, he would kill everything and everyone dear to her, and watch her suffer. Could she simply run away? No. Where would she go? Where could she go? The only people she knew, and had ever known were her acquaintances at the Moulin Rouge.  
  
She was lost completely inside her thoughts, inside her fear, when a knock came at the door. "Go away," she screamed, "I am in no mood for talk." Although she had been jolted back to reality, she was still a victim to her thoughts. Satine did not realize that the show was only minutes away.  
  
"You must get on the stage Satine." Marie's voice was a relief to Satine. But what could Marie do to alleviate her troubles. Nothing. "Curtain rises in five minutes, child. Get to the stage!"  
  
"I'm coming." There was a touch of pain in her voice. Her throat ached, as she tried to hold back the tears and sadness. Her chest tightened, her frail body barely able to contain all the perils of the troubled young woman. Satine grabbed her headdress, and walked out of the door, still unsure of what the outcome of the night might be.  
  
Satine remained in position after the curtain fell. The next scene would be the finale, and Christian still had not shown his face. Maybe the Duke had been wrong. Perhaps Christian was convinced that she did not love him. Satine made her way backstage to her dressing room for a few last minute touch-ups. A slight sense of relief began slowly to creep through her. Maybe everything would turn out all right. She reapplied the needed makeup and then just stood in front of the mirror. Perhaps all her dreams would come true. She would be a famous actress, with no help from the Duke, and live happily with Christian.  
  
All of those thoughts shattered when she saw Christian standing in her doorway.  
  
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End Chapter  
  
Next chapter soon! Please review!  
  
*+MoJo+* 


	3. Satine Falls

*+MoJo+*- New Chapter! Yay! Sorry it took so long. I was on holiday for a month. Thanks for the reviews. They were encouraging. Keep Em coming! Have fun with this one!  
  
Disclaimer: I don¹t own Moulin Rouge. If I did, I would be swashbuckling with Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp in the mighty Caribbean. ;)  
  
Enjoy!  
  
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Satine gasped. Inside, her heart broke. However outside, she kept a stern face. "I must get him to leave," she thought. "If he leaves, he won¹t be killed."  
  
Christian eyed her with eyes that were once filled with an endless love, but that were now filled with hate, regret, and remorse. "I've come to pay my bill."  
  
Satine retained her composure. "You shouldn't be here, Christian. Just leave." She brushed past him through the door, and left the room in hopes of drive him to leave the Moulin Rouge. Much to her dismay, Christian followed her. She could not take it. The tears slowly fell outside of her consciousness, and her breaths came shorter and farther apart.  
  
Christian was still pursuing her. "You made me believe that you loved me. Why shouldn't I pay you?"  
  
Satine could not handle this. What could she do? "Please Christian." Satine faintly heard Marie's voice. It sounded as if it were coming from a completely different world. "She¹s got to get on the stage!"  
  
Satine searched her now blank mind for something to say. Something to make all of the pain and sadness go away. There were no words to be found. In a mindless stupor, she climbed the stairs to the stage where she was once the "Sparkling Diamond". As she climbed the old, faintly familiar stairs, Christian's hands grabbed her waist, but it was not as he had done before. Not in his usual tender, heartfelt caress, but in a beastly, angry, grip, so unlike him.  
  
"You did your job so very, very well." The hurt and anger in his voice were obvious to her. "Why can't I pay you like everyone else does?"  
  
Though she was not searching for them, the words came. "Don't Christian. There's no point." She paused and looked into his eyes. Looked for the Christian that would always love her, that would never hurt her. She could not find that Christian anywhere in his cold, hard exterior. "Just leave."  
  
She continued up the stairs, and prayed that Christian would just leave, and spare Satine and himself the tragedy of his premature death. Nevertheless, Christian pursued her still.  
  
Up ahead Satine saw Warner brandish his prized possession, his gun. A scream escaped her aching body. "Go!" She hoped with every fiber of her fragile being that he would heed her warning, but he grabbed her with such force, all she could think about was the pain in her wrists.  
  
"If it wasn't real, then why can't I pay you?"  
  
Onstage Satine could hear Harold¹s boisterous voice. "Open the doors." For a moment Satine was snapped back to the reality of the play, but Christian's voice broke that reality and she was once again outside herself, living this lie of a life, and nightmare of an existence.  
  
Christian gripped her frail wrists harder as he spoke, money in one hand. "Let me pay!"  
  
Onstage Harold again recited his line. "Open the doors."  
  
Christian clinched her wrists tighter as she tried to wiggle free of his monstrous grasp. "Let me pay. Tell me it wasn't real." Christian struggled to hold the pain and sadness in his voice back, but his sorrow was obvious.  
  
She fell to her knees both begging forgiveness and trying to free herself from the pain of his grasp.  
  
"Tell me you don't love me."  
  
Satine could hear a faint whisper. It was Harold instructing the stage hands to open the doors, yet again.  
  
"Tell me you don't love me." Satine shook her head, pleading without words for Christian to stop, but he would not. He repeated himself yet again. "Tell me you don't love me!" Satine could no longer hold in the sobs. She let out a whimper.  
  
Suddenly the stage door flew open and the bright lights hit her face like a brick wall. She stared into the lights not caring about anybody but Christian. The entire crowd fell silent, and then slowly a whisper ran through them. "Why are they whispering?" Satine thought, "What is wrong?" Satine became briefly lost in thought, but Harold's theatrical laughter ripped her out of it.  
  
Harold's voice was filled with nerves, and he exchanged questioning glances with the Duke. He took a step forward and spoke. "Ha ha ha. I am not fooled. Though he has shaved off his beard, and adopts a disguise, mine eyes do not lie. For it is he; the same penniless sitar player. Driven mad by jealousy." The crowd laughed, assuming the play had momentarily become a comedy, but it was nothing of the sort.  
  
The music began to play, and the dancers began to dance. Christian released one of Satine¹s wrists and helped her to her feet. Her hopes lifted, but they came crashing down, along with her body, as Christian threw her to the floor. Pain surged through Satine's frail frame, and she began to cough.  
  
Christian pointed to Satine, lying pitifully on the floor, and looked at the Duke, who had been sitting, stunned, in the front row. "This woman is your¹s now," he said to the Duke. Christian threw the money he had been clutching in his hand, down at Satine. "I've paid my whore." The audience gasped, and a look of shock filled Harold's round face. Shifting his glance from the Duke to Satine, Christian spoke, his voice filled with pain and anger. "I owe you nothing. And you are nothing to me." He could hold back the sobs no longer. His next sentence came out in a jumble mixture of words and emotions. "Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love."  
  
Christian walked off the stage, leaving Satine, tears streaming down her porcelain face. He stopped in front of the Duke. The two exchanged hate- filled glances, and then Christian continued his stride toward the door.  
  
Harold, stunned to silence made his way towards Satine. Looking towards the audience, he continued the act. "This sitar player doesn't love you. See he flees the kingdom."  
  
He reached Satine's side and kneeled down. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he spoke to her. "Pumpkin, it's for the best. You know it is. The show must go on."  
  
Raising his voice, to speak to the audience, he stood. "And now my bride, it is time for you to raise your voice to the heavens, and say your wedding vows." As he said this he took Satine's hands and helped her to stand.  
  
Tears flowing like rivers from her eyes she hung her head low into Harold's grasp. Harold looked at Christian just as he was removing the white jacket he had taken from the narcoleptic Argentinean. Harold separated his grasp from Satine and left her standing there, back towards the audience. As Harold began to speak his next line, another voice could be heard. Faintly at first, but then loud and clear.  
  
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return."  
  
Toulouse screamed the line with such force and gusto that one would never have guessed that it had taken him seven and a half weeks just to memorize it.  
  
Satine stood still and a wave of hope washed over her. Christian stopped and stood in his place for a moment. Satine slowly turned, as she began to sing.  
  
"Never knew, I could feel like this. It's like I've never seen the sky before."  
  
Christian began walking again, anger and remorse painted his charming face.  
  
"Want to vanish inside your kiss. Everyday I'm loving you, more and more." Satine sang with more force than she ever had before.  
  
"Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing? Come back to me, and forgive everything." Apparently, it was too much force, because Satine lost her breath, and had to pause as a gasp filled her lungs.  
  
Christian paused in his step and turned around, looking straight into Satine's eyes. She stared right back.  
  
"Seasons may change, winter to spring," Satine stared deeply into Christian's eyes and whispered the next line, only to him. "I love you. Until the end of time." She remained still, hoping and praying that Christian would reply.  
  
The entire theater was quite, not a sound to be heard, except for Satie's music. Satine's heart was a mix of hope and desperation, and the seconds that swam by seemed like an eternity in Hell.  
  
Christian slowly closed his mouth, and then without thought, opened his lips and began to sing.  
  
"Come what may," Satine let out a sigh of relief as a murmur ran through the crowd and all eyes slowly turned toward him as he slowly moved toward the stage.  
  
"Come what may,  
  
Come what may,  
  
Come what may  
  
I will love you."  
  
Satine joined Christian in his song, harmonizing with his voice, and his heart.  
  
"I will love you."  
  
"Until my dying day. Come what may." Christian finally reached the stage and Satine's arms.  
  
The Duke sat in the front row arms pulled tight around his body, chest heaving. His Hindi courtesan had not chosen the life of security; she had instead chosen the penniless sitar player.  
  
"Come what may, I will love you, until my dying..."  
  
Toulouse's scream again ripped through the play. "He's got a gun!" The audience again laughed at play, not knowing that none of this was scripted. After a series of events involving Toulouse, the Moulin Rouge dancers, and Warner, the gun ended up in the Duke's hand. He moved forward to shoot Satine and her lover, but the gun was kicked from his hand, and out of the Moulin Rouge forever.  
  
The finale continued and the play ended.  
  
Then the curtain fell along with Satine's spirit. What should she do? The Duke was a very powerful man, and he could have Christian killed with a mere snap of his fingers. Satine could not risk it. She had to hurt her one and only true love. She had no other choice. She was going to die in Christian's arms and lose his love forever.  
  
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*End of Chapter*  
  
Hope you liked it. In case you didn¹t notice that was one of the final scenes from the movie. I figured that if you are reading this you know what happens, so you know how Satine "dies" in Christian¹s arms.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!  
  
Next chapter this week!  
  
*+MoJo+* 


	4. One Day I'll Fly Away

*+MoJo+* A new chapter! YAY! PLEASE REVIEW!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Moulin Rouge. If I did, I would be dancing with Brad Pitt, Colin Farrell, Heath Ledger, and Orlando Bloom in Morocco.  
  
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Christian sat onstage in tears with his Satine lying limp in his arms. How much time had passed, he did not know. He kept thinking that if he held her just a little bit closer for just a little but longer, she would come back to him. She did not.  
  
After everyone had left the stage and only Christian was left, holding Satine's body, Harold and Toulouse approached Christian. "Chwistian, Satine would not have wanted you to sit here and weep your life away over her. She would want you to continue on with your life, be happy with the memories of how it was, not sad with the way it ended. Do as she asked. Tell your story." Toulouse's words bounced off of Christian as if they were never said. He did not take in anything he had said. "Go away, Toulouse." The little man began to protest, but Harold grabbed him by the shoulder, and Toulouse backed away and left.  
  
Harold knelt down next to Christian. "Come on son. You have to get on with your life. Leave her here. We will take care of her." Harold placed one hand upon Christian's shoulder and the other under Satine's neck. He gently lifted Satine from Christian's arms while pulling the boy back. "Wait," Christian protested, "She'll get cold here. I cannot let her get cold. She always hated it." Harold looked up at the boy, and then removed his jacket and placed upon Satine, covering her face.  
  
"There son," Harold said, "Now go home and rest." Harold placed a hand on Christian's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "You were her world, boy. She loved with everything she had, but she would not want you to sit around weeping for her. Go on with your life. There is nothing wrong with memories, but living in the past can be a terrible thing. Just try to remember the good times that the two of you had together. Now go home, Christian." Harold walked him to the door of the Moulin Rouge and watched Christian as he left the building, sauntering through the grounds as if lost forever. Harold stood in the doorway just a bit longer, watching the boy, and then turned and walked back into the Moulin Rouge.  
  
As he approached the stage, curtains still closed, he placed a hand on the curtains, and closed his eyes, and bracing himself for the shock and pain of seeing his beloved "Sparkling Diamond" lying dead on the floor amongst the rose petals. He stepped through the curtains and slowly opened his eyes. What was there, or what was not there, knocked him back a step.  
  
Satine's body was gone, and what's more there were footsteps in the petals leading offstage. How could it be? Satine could not have just walked off the stage. She had lain in Christian's arms for so long without so much as twitching. It was impossible. He ran through the entire Moulin Rouge and could not find a trace of Satine having been there since the end of the play. Her dressing room was as it was before the play began, and no one had seen the woman.  
  
He walked out of the side entrance and looked for footsteps in the mud. There were none. He wandered around to the front of the building. Looked around, and, saddened, said, "Goodbye my sparrow. You will be greatly missed, but the show must go on." He did not know what had happened to her body, but truly it did not matter, she was gone either way, and never to return. Harold wiped a lone tear from his face and walked back into the underworld.  
  
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After she was sure everyone had left, including Christian and Harold, she left the stage. Just as the Duke instructed her, she took the back hall, which was rarely used and went out of the back entrance. She left everything in her dressing room just as it had been before the performance of Spectacular! Spectacular! As she exited the back door, she saw a carriage waiting for her just as the Duke had said. She stepped inside and was taken aback.  
  
The seats were made of red velvet, something the underworld folk only heard about, but never saw. The curtains were made of a pale crimson silk, and there was a black satin cloak opposite her that had a collar encrusted with diamonds.  
  
If this were any clue as to how her lie with the Duke was to be, she would be treated greater than a queen. And she would hate every moment of it.  
  
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Satine woke gently when the carriage stopped. As the door closest to her opened, she was helped out into complete darkness. She was led to a concrete stoop, then a magnificent door opened in front of her, and there stood the Duke.  
  
"Welcome my dear. Please come into your new home. I suspect that you are hungry from your many exertions tonight. We shall have dinner in the dining hall to celebrate your death," he said with a malevolent smirk,  
  
"Natalia will show you to your room where you can change into something more suitable than those rags. Then you can join me in the celebration." He pulled Satine's hand towards his lips, and gave her fingers a gentle kiss. Satine could have vomited, but had to keep it in.  
  
A short, plump woman with bright green eyes and red hair approached her. "Me name's Natalia, miss. I'll be showin' ye' to yer' room. Follow me." the woman led Satine up a grand marble staircase and down a hall filled with beautiful pictures of various landscapes. When they reached the end of the hall Natalia turned left and Satine was led up another flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a solid wood door. Natalia pulled a key chain from her pocket and unlocked the door. She pushed it open and stepped in.  
  
As Satine entered, she could see nothing, but after Natalia had lit a few lanterns Satine's breath escaped her. "Everythin' alright, miss? Do you need some tonic, perhaps?" Satine shook her head and Natalia bowed her head and left the room.  
  
Satine's quarters were bigger than the auditorium at the Moulin Rouge. She had a lavish sleigh bed, made of solid, beautiful, black marble. The bedspread was purple velvet, with diamonds on the edges, and the sheets were made of pure silk. There were several chairs throughout the area; all made of pale pink satin with diamonds along the edges.  
  
There was a changing screen in the back right corner, and in front of that was a table with a box on it. Satine walked over towards the table. She opened the box and again gasped at what was inside.  
  
A pale blue dress with no sleeves, a low cut neck, and matching shoes. She stepped behind the screen to change and saw a bell attached to the wall. She wondered what it was for. She proceeded to put on the dress. Upon putting it on, she realized it had a corset that needed to be tied, which she could not do herself. She decided to ring the bell and see what would happen. She pulled the string underneath it, and within seconds, Natalia appeared in her doorway.  
  
"You rang for me, miss?"  
  
Satine nodded, "Yes. I will be needing some help with this dress if it is not too much trouble."  
  
Natalia hurriedly walked toward Satine, "Oh of course not, miss. I'm always 'ere to 'elp 'ye. Just ring that bell o'er there, or any one of the bells scattered throughout out your quarters and I will be 'ere to 'elp you with anythin'." Satine nodded and Natalia proceeded to string up the dress.  
  
When she was finished, Satine picked up the matching shoes and sat down in a chair. When she bent down to put them on Natalia snatched them from Satine's hands and pushed Satine back into the chair. She lifted Satine's left foot, put on the shoe, and buckled it accordingly. Then she repeated this with the right shoe. When Natalia was done, Satine stood and looked around the room for a mirror.  
  
She found one a few feet away above a dresser that had some cosmetics, a hairbrush, a hand mirror, and a wash basin. She walked over towards it, and stepped in front of the mirror. She felt like a princess and wished that Christian could see her. She quickly pushed Christian from her thoughts as Natalia came behind her and began to do her hair. After several minutes, Satine glanced up into the mirror. She looked stunning, but the Duke did not deserve her beauty. She excused Natalia and made her way down the stairway. When she reached the bottom of the grand marble staircase the Duke was waiting for her. Here her life with him began.  
  
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Weeks passed and Satine became accustomed to her regal treatment. She rarely saw the Duke except for meal times, and she was thankful for that, at least.  
  
One spring afternoon the Duke called Satine into his office, which surprised her. "My dear," he said, "I have some business to take care over in Paris. I shall be leaving tomorrow evening and I will not return for two and a half weeks. I will leave you here in Natalia's care. You are free to go into town and shop, and don't shy away from sending some of the servants into the market to pick up any goods that you would like."  
  
Satine stood there trying not to speak, but she could not hold it in. "Darling, why not bring me along. We hardly see enough of each other as it is, and I would truly like to spend some time in the city. I miss it so."  
  
"I'm afraid not my dear. I can not have you running about the city getting into trouble. Besides, could you imagine the trouble it would cause, all the people thinking you dead and then you showing up, alive and well. I think not my dear. Nice try, but you will have to be more clever to outwit me."  
  
"Duke, I really must protest. I do not want to visit any of my friends, just the city itself. Please, Duke, please bring me along."  
  
"No," was his simple reply and with that he rang the bell next to his desk and Warner came and escorted Satine back to her quarters. She could not stay here when there was nothing here worth staying for.  
  
She would get to Paris, if it cost Satine her life.  
  
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End Chapter!  
  
Please review! Hope you liked this one. Please review and let me know what you think I should do with the story. Your comments keep me going!  
  
*+MoJo+* 


	5. I Don't Like This Ending

*+MoJo+* New chapter! No reviews :( I need some ideas really badly. I do not know where to go from here.  
  
Disclaimer: Do not own any of it! If I did, I would buy a ticket to the end of the rainbow and dance with all of the little leprechauns and all of their money!  
  
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Satine packed some of her things in an oversized handbag, so that the servants would not suspect anything. As she left the house Natalia approached and asked Satine if she wanted an escort into town. Satine declined and asked for the carriage to be brought around the front. When Satine had climbed into the carriage and was on her way to the city, she counted her money one more time. She wanted to make sure she had enough to reach Paris, and to buy herself some clothes that did not stand out as much as her regal gowns did.  
  
When she reached the town, she told the carriage to go home, and that she would walk back to the manor. Once the carriage was out of sight, she walked quickly to the train station, bought her ticket, and boarded. She sat in a seat by herself and contemplated what she should do when she got to Paris. She could not decide. She would let her instinct tell her where to go.  
  
As she took her bag out of her lap, she happened to glance up, and noticed that the woman, dressed in rags, sitting adjacent to her was staring intently at Satine's diamond necklace, as if she had never so much as heard of anything that royal in her entire life. Satine gingerly slipped the necklace off of her neck and held it out towards the woman.  
  
"Oh no miss, I couldn't possibly accept this." Satine placed it in the woman's lap.  
  
"Take it, I won't need it anymore. I never needed it."  
  
The woman looked up with tears in her eyes, "I can never repay you for this. I had to sell everything that I owned to pay for my ticket to get on this train. I am going to Paris to find work. I've traveled to almost every other major city in Europe, each time having to sell the little that I do have just to purchase the ticket, and I haven't been able to find a steady job that pays worth a damn...oh 'scuse me madam. I didn't mean to use such language in front of a woman such as yourself."  
  
Satine laughed out loud, "Would you believe me if I told you that I used to live in Paris and I worked as a courtesan in the Moulin Rouge. I have probably heard and seen far worse things than the word damn, madam. I am planning on going back to the Moulin and visiting some of my old friends from those days."  
  
The woman let out a small gasp and once again dropped her head. "Miss, have you not heard," the woman said timidly, as if speaking to someone ready to strike her, "That building has been closed for nearly a year now. Word around is that after their top performer, Satine something, died, and that the club could no longer bring in the amount of money they could before, so everything had to be closed. Their financier also left without so much as a 'good riddance'. I've even heard the place has fallen into such horrible disrepair that not even the mice make their homes inside the Moulin Rouge."  
  
Satine stared at the teardrops floating on the lap of her skirt. "Excuse me," Satine said, rising and exiting the seat. As she made her way towards the washroom she kept her head down, so as to prevent anyone from seeing her tear stained eyes.  
  
Once Satine was inside the room, she locked the door, sat down, and sobbed. Her beloved Moulin Rouge. Her true home was...gone. As she let out a very loud sob, she began to feel ill.  
  
Her chest began to heave, and her breath became shorter. She could feel the air escaping her lungs, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Satine collapsed on the floor.  
  
When Satine awoke, she was in one of the train's sleeper cars. She slowly sat up and tried to let her head clear, but all that she could think about was the Moulin Rouge being closed and it was all her fault!  
  
She felt the train slow and the come to a halt. A voice yelled from the front of the train, "All passengers for the Paris stop. Paris." How long had she slept, she wondered?  
  
She quickly gathered her bag, lying at her feet, and made her way towards the train exit. As she stepped off, she barely recognized the city that she had lived in for more than eighteen years of her life. The city had fallen into disrepair and beggars had taken to begging for money at the train station.  
  
Once Satine exited the train station and made her way to Montmartre, she looked around and realized that, while the city, Paris had changed, Montmartre was still the same city it had been when she was a young girl.  
  
As she made her way towards the Moulin Rouge, a sign lining the skyline caught her eye. "Lamour." She had become familiar with sign that hung in front of Christian's garret.  
  
Christian. Satine's mind began to skip to the moments that Satine had spent nestled in Christian's arms, or the times she had spent lying next to him, listening to the rhythm of his breath.  
  
Before she realized it, she was at his front door. As she subconsciously began to knock, her mind was screaming at her for doing so. As she stood at the door waiting for Christian to answer, she puzzled over what to say to him. Her mind began to come up with things to say to express her regret for what she had done to him.  
  
Her mind cleared when the door opened and Christian met Satine's eyes for the first time in two years.  
  
$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~ $~$~$ *End Chapter! *  
  
Oooo! Cliffhanger! Let me know what you think of this chapter, and what you think I should do with the story. Thanks bunches! 


	6. Fool To Believe

*+MoJo+* [Is the suspense killing you yet? No I figured it would not be! Thanks so much for the reviews. They are very encouraging and help me to publish the next chapter sooner. Keep them coming. Anyway, this is the new chapter. Please review.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Moulin Rouge characters, names or anything affiliated with the movie. If I did I would buy myself a ticket to Atlantis and watch the starts crash in the sea and then roast marshmallows in the flames!  
  
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Satine gasped.  
  
Christian had grown an unkempt beard, and looked as though he had not bathed once since they had lest seen each other two long years ago. Christian's eyes showed a flicker of life and then it slowly faded and he stared Satine straight in the face.  
  
"I am not signing books anymore. I am done with writing. I have done what I was asked, now please go home and leave me be."  
  
Christian made to shut the door, but Satine put her foot in its path. "What you were asked? I am afraid I do not understand. What were you asked?" "Miss, I do not have the time to answer any personal questions, so will you please leave and never return."  
  
He gently kicked her foot from it's place and motioned to shut the door once again, but Satine said, "Please Christian. What happened to 'Come What May'?"  
  
He stopped and looked deep into her face. He opened the door and motioned for her to come in and sit down.  
  
When Satine was settled in the chair, Christian sat opposite her and began to speak.  
  
"I know what you are trying to do, but it's not going to work. You are not the first to attempt it, so please, will you leave me to my thoughts and papers and go home to your family."  
  
Satine shifted in her chair. "What are you talking about? I am not trying to do anything. I came here to see you, Christian."  
  
Christian stood in anger and his voice began to escalate to a level she had never before heard.  
  
"Why can't you people just stop," he tried to choke back tears, "Coming to my home and dressing as my dead lover is not going to get you anywhere. I will admit that for a moment I believed that you truly were Satine, but that is impossible. She is dead. Dead!"  
  
He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself more than her.  
  
"So if you could please just leave and never return."  
  
He then spoke under his breath; "I never should have published the novel."  
  
He stared at his feet, waiting for her to leave, but it finally dawned on her.  
  
Satine stood and slowly walked toward him, "Yes you should have published that novel. It was what I asked you to do, Christian. I am sorry I put you through all of this. Please sit down and I will tell you everything."  
  
Christian looked deep into her eyes and slowly sat down.  
  
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End Chapter!  
  
Sorry I had to end it here, but I wanted to be able to break the chapters down so that I can update more often. If you like the longer chapters less often, let me know. Thanks  
  
*+MoJo+* 


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